Page 32 of Spike's Perdition
“That might be kinda tough… You’re pregnant with his kid.”
“So? There are single parents everywhere, and if they can make it work, so can I.”
“Hard to do if he pursues visitation rights,” she counters. “He might want to be a part of his kid’s life.”
“We never discussed me being pregnant,” I admit.
“You didn’t tell him?” Megan is silent for a beat. “Ivory, maybe this is all just a big misunderst?—”
“I told you what he said to me!”
“Hun, I’m on your side,” she says gently. “You’ve had a shock today. Maybe if you sleep on it, you’ll fe?—”
“No,” I say stubbornly. “He proved to me during our phone call the kind of man he is. The baby and I don’t need him in our lives. We’ll have you and Eric. You’re more than enough.”
“If that’s really how you feel, you know we’ll support you a hundred percent.”
“It is,” I confirm. “I’ve gotta go. I’m getting a headache.”
The weight of the world crashes on my shoulders as I bite my lip to keep from crying. I can’t afford to fall apart until I hang up. Megan will get in her car and force her way in to take care of me, and right now, I want to be alone. I don’t want to see the judgment in her eyes. It’s bad enough I can hear it in her voice. I know deep down she’ll follow my lead, but for now, I need space to think.
“Alright,” Megan agrees. “Iamhere for you. I support whatever you want. Get some rest, and I’ll check on you tomorrow. Love you.”
“Love you.”
I disconnect the call and fall onto the couch in a heap, finally allowing the sobs to wrack my body. I tuck my knees into my chest and reach for a pillow as I wrap myself tight in a throw blanket.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
I roll over, reaching for the remote to turn the television off. How did I fall asleep with the volume up that loud? My body hits the floor with a thud before I realize that I’m not in my bed. I groan as I scramble to untangle myself and stand on shaky legs. The banging continues, and it hits me that it’s coming from the front door. My head snaps towards the unwelcome intrusion.
I stomp toward the sounds, unlock the door, and throw it open. “Megan, I to?—”
Spike has his fist raised ready to pound on my door again. “Not Megan,” he says gruffly.
“Obviously,” I snap. “What do you want, Spike? And how the fuck did you know where I live?”
“I wanna talk, and to answer your second question, not a lot of Ivorys around these parts.”
“I tried to talk to you before you barked at me earlier, or did you already forget calling me an uptight bitch?” I hiss. “You need to go. We have nothing else to say to each other.”
I attempt to slam the door in his face, but Spike’s hand shoots out and stops it.
“Ivory, please,” he pleads. “I know I was a dick to you earlier, and you have no reason to let me in, but hear me out.”
I take a deep breath, fully intending to deny his request. But then I remember the baby I’m carrying and sigh.
“Fine.” I step back and gesture for him to enter. “You have five minutes.”
CHAPTER 12
SPIKE
You have five minutes.
I’m not entirely sure I can say what’s on my mind in that amount of time, but I’m inside, and that’s a giant step in the right direction.
“Time’s ticking,” she snipes as she paces the length of her living room.
